What The Hypocrites does

The Hypocrites is described in firmographic metadata as a Chicago-based for-profit theater company founded in 1997, but the company's own website and product, pricing, and operations data describe it as the "School of Theater Arts," an author's acting school that develops and delivers in-person theatrical training to non-professional adult learners. Course catalog spans Theater Improvisation, a three-month Basic Course, Advanced Course, Laboratory, Voice/Body/Emotion intensive, Scenic Combat intensive, and a Reboot from head to toe relaxation course, collectively forming a beginner-through-advanced pathway led by four named instructors with Master's-level credentials in acting, stage speech, vocal technique, and plastics. The underlying technology is traditional, in-person pedagogy — described as game-based acting training adapted from theatrical practices — with no disclosed digital platform, mobile app, or API; core mechanics are physical classes conducted at the school's physical address in Hailietown, NC (42911 Sipes Road).

The business model is tuition-based consumer education: prospective students discover the school primarily through organic website content and blog posts, then enroll in scheduled in-person courses and intensives at the single physical site. Pricing, course fees, and revenue are not publicly disclosed, and no enterprise contracts, corporate clients, or institutional partnerships are mentioned. Customer segmentation is horizontal, targeting adults seeking personal development (confidence, sociability, public speaking, creative expression) rather than professional actors, with all marketing and product design adapted to that non-professional persona. Ownership is private and independent, with no parent company, investors, funding rounds, or subsidiaries disclosed in the available source material.

There is a notable discrepancy between the firmographic record (Chicago, founded 1997, theater company) and the first-party website (Hailietown, NC, acting school) that the analysis above should be read as primarily describing the website-described entity, given the instruction to prefer first-party sources for first-party facts.

Name

The Hypocrites

Legal name

The Hypocrites

Website

https://the-hypocrites.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hypocrites is an author's school of theater arts operating from a single U.S. site, delivering in-person acting courses and intensives to non-professional adult learners seeking personal development and creative skills.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts (Acting, Improv, Theater) (EDAAAGAE), Improvisational Theatre (MPAGABAJ)

Keywords

• Acting school
• Theater training
• Acting courses
• Stage combat training
• Improvisation classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Hypocrites is an author's school of acting offering structured in-person theatrical training courses for non-professional actors. The curriculum includes improvisation, a three-month basic personality development course, voice/body/emotion intensives, scenic combat training, a production-oriented laboratory, and an advanced actor's role course. The school employs a proprietary game-based pedagogical methodology created by specialists in performative arts, acting, directing, and arts sciences.

Product overview

The Hypocrites is an author's school of acting that offers a structured curriculum of theatrical courses designed for non-professional actors. The school employs its own pedagogical methodology centered on acting game training. The course portfolio includes foundational programs such as Theater Improvisation and the three-month Basic Course, progression tracks like the Advanced Course and Laboratory (production-based), and specialized intensives including Voice. Body. Emotion (speech), Scenic Combat, and Reboot (relaxation). Together, these offerings form a comprehensive pathway from beginner through advanced actor training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theater Improvisation A practical course focused on improvisation techniques where participants engage in exercises to build spontaneity, trust, and the ability to transform the unexpected into theatrical moments. Designed for non-professional actors seeking practical improvisational skills.
• Reboot from head to toe
• Basic Course (three months)
• Voice. Body. Emotion
• Scenic Combat Intensive
• Laboratory
• Advanced Course

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• iO Theater (Improv Olympic): Chicago improv training center offering structured improv curricula for hobbyists and aspiring performers. Comparable in pedagogy, geography-adjacent, and target learner (non-professional adults seeking improv skills).
• Atlantic Acting School: NYC-based conservatory-style acting school offering part-time and full-time programs for adult learners. Comparable as a tiered acting training provider with both personal-development and pre-professional pathways.
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre School of Theatre: Affiliated acting conservatory offering adult acting classes and intensives in the Bay Area. Comparable as a brick-and-mortar adult acting school with multi-level curriculum.
• Stella Adler Studio of Acting: NYC acting school offering multi-level conservatory-style training in acting, voice, and movement. Comparable as a structured theater-arts school with progression-based curriculum for adult learners.
• The Second City: Long-established Chicago-based comedy and theater training center offering improv and acting classes for non-professional and professional students. Directly comparable as a brick-and-mortar acting/improv school with structured curriculum progression.
• Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Training Center: Improv and sketch comedy training school with NYC and LA locations offering structured improv curricula for adult learners. Comparable in pedagogy (improv-based) and learner profile (adult non-professionals and aspiring performers).
• Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute: Acting school with NYC and LA campuses offering structured acting courses and intensives for adult learners. Comparable in offering tiered acting curricula (intro through advanced) targeting aspiring and personal-development students.
• The Groundlings: Los Angeles-based theater and improv training school with tiered classes for non-professional through advanced performers. Directly comparable in offering improv and acting training to adult learners seeking personal and creative development.

Regional players

• National Theatre Institute: Connecticut-based intensive theater training program offering semester and short-course formats. Comparable as a structured theater-arts training provider for adult learners, though primarily residential rather than local-recurring.

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Major Chicago-based theater company with education and training programs alongside professional productions. Comparable as a broader Chicago theater institution with overlapping educational offerings, but operating at much larger scale and prestige.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thehypocrites
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hypocrites

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hypocrites